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Culture

‘Aesthetics’ Have Gone Too Far

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Kenyon chapter.
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In my 2023 article on corporations attempting to appeal to a younger audience by appearing “relatable,” I was firm in my belief that the strategies employed by Sheetz — as much as I appreciate a pit stop at one along the Ohio highways—were not focused on building a rapport with their patrons, but rather aimed to rake in more money.

I do not wish to repeat the exact takeaway from my 2023 piece. However, I do wish to call our attention to yet another way companies are attempting to convey relatability to their prospective buyers, and how we should view our own proliferation of “aesthetics.”

I came across the TikTok page for Millie Moon Luxury Diapers this past week after being served a sponsored video attempting to draw users in with the following text displayed: “✨A diaper that finally fits my Target-loving, clean-girl, neutral-tone vibe✨.” I had to put my phone face-down on the desk in my dorm room and take a deep breath before picking it up again. Truly and sincerely, I believed that there was something wrong with my mind — that I had made that sentence up in my subconscious and had read the text incorrectly, but no; I correctly read the words “clean-girl, neutral-tone vibe” in an advertisement. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I completely understand and wholeheartedly support the idea that parents should provide the best possible quality care for their children, and can see how a diaper created as soft as can be for a little one is something that parents with newborns would want. 

What I am still grappling with is why exactly Millie Moon Luxury Diapers has chosen to promote this specific video in order to show their product to a wider audience. Could it be that:

  1. This company chose to lead with the aesthetics of their product over the quality or price point (these diapers are less expensive than other luxury diaper lines such as Pampers)?
  2. Or that customers really and truly respond more positively to advertisements featuring “aesthetics” because that is what parents of children who are not potty trained value?

As a college student and current user of hormonal birth control methods (see: “I’ve Had Three IUDs But I Don’t Regret Them), I do not have a need for diapers, nor am I close with anyone who would be receiving luxury diapers from me as a baby shower gift. Yet I still believe that if I were to prioritize the way a diaper looks on my child’s infant body, I would have my priorities wrong.

What I am asking of this company, as well as its consumers, is to think critically about the media we consume that isn’t coming directly from advertisers — to question whether or not going down a rabbit hole of “aesthetic” TikTok videos and Instagram posts is impacting the way in which we go about purchasing products. I also wish the customers of companies like Millie Moon Luxury Diapers would adopt a different approach to their purchasing decisions for their children — for them to think “It’s okay for my child to wear a diaper with Boots from “Dora the Explorer” plastered all over the garment. It may be gauche, but is it the print that matters, or is it the safety and health of our children that truly take precedence?

💸 Related: Are Corporations Your Friends?
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Original Illustration in Canva for Her Campus Media
Carlin Steere is an author, playwright, and poet at Kenyon College. When she's not on campus, she can be found on the beaches of Connecticut with a notebook in hand.